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| The Forbidden City in Beijing was only opened to the public in 1965. It was built for Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (24 of them)…. all 180 acres of it! |
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| The details on the building roofs indicate the importance of the building.. per our professional guides: Jex and Kida |
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| These dragons were ornate coverings for water drainage spouts from higher level decks. |
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| Copper embossed trimwork below windows on Throne room |
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| May locals asked to take photos with us and one young man gave Kida a national flag as a thank-you |
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| Our kids are becoming professional posers… Didn't expect that as part of our international curriculum. |
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| We hiked along a remote section of the China wall and didn't see a single tourist for 3 hours. |
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| The wind was howling in from Mongolia and crossing the dam (on the left) to get onto the wall was a wet affair. |
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| A ladder is required to access the 'outside' of the wall (Mongolian) but the interior side has regular access points every li (1/2 kilometer). Mom came from Canada to hike in Beijing! |
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| Some parts of the wall were completely eroded and quite steep. |
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Other parts were smoothly repaved with tall protective walls on both sides. We appreciated the wind protection in these areas. |
